After several delays, Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit officials received approval from the Federal Railroad Administration on Wednesday night to start service on the 43-mile rail line from downtown San Rafael to the Sonoma Airport. An extension to Larkspur is set to open in 2019.

“This is truly historic,” Marin Supervisor Kate Sears, SMART’s vice chairwoman, said in a statement. “We want to thank the public for their support, and for providing the North Bay with a state-of-the-art transportation system. This system will bring relief to commuters stuck on Highway 101 and provide a stress-free way to travel. It will also provide a major economic boost for both Marin and Sonoma counties.”

SMART will host an opening event at 9 a.m. on launch day at its downtown Santa Rosa Station, 7 Fourth St., at Railroad Square, and then begin running a full-service schedule at 12:49 p.m. Train service will be free of charge on opening day. After that, SMART fares will be 50 percent off through Labor Day. Regular fares will go in place on Sept. 5.

SMART’s schedule shows a trip the length of the track from the Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa to downtown San Rafael taking 67 minutes. The schedule includes 34 trips each weekday and 10 on weekends.

SMART chief Farhad Mansourian said a week’s time is needed to get the system ready to handle the public.

“We have to let other transit agencies know, turn on our ticket vending machines and have our employees get ready,” he said. “We want to make sure we are all on the same page instead of starting tomorrow and then having to correct something. We wanted a few days and this is the last time we will have a few days to get ready.”

Once full-price fares are implemented, riders will see a one-way base fare of $3.50, plus another $2 each time a zone is entered.

SMART has five zones from downtown San Rafael to the Santa Rosa Airport.

Under the structure, a passenger will pay $11.50 one way to pass through all five zones. SMART officials believe the majority of commuters — 61 percent — would pass between two and three zones. There will be a pass that caps a daily fare at $23 to allow more travel if passengers want to get off and on the system.

SMART will offer discounts of between 75 cents and $1.50 for passengers using Clipper-enabled North Bay bus systems to get to the train. There would be senior, disabled, youth and veterans discounts as well.

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SMART also will offer a $200 pass good for 31 days. With that pass, a commuter who works 20 days will pay an average of $10 a day for round-trip train service. A pass for passengers with disabilities, those 65 and older and youth 5 to 19 for the same period will sell for $100.

The schedule has the first southbound train pulling out at 4:19 a.m. from the Sonoma County Airport Station and the first northbound train leaving downtown San Rafael at 5:59 a.m.

The last southbound train leaves the Sonoma County Airport Station at 6:49 p.m. and the last northbound train leaves downtown San Rafael at 8:35 p.m. The full 43-mile trip includes stops at 10 stations. The schedule also includes weekend runs to meet the Golden Gate Ferry in Larkspur.

Marin rail stops now include downtown San Rafael, the Marin Civic Center and stations in Novato at Hamilton and San Marin Drive. Novato has a planned downtown station. The North Bay has waited almost nine years for the train. In November 2008, voters approved Measure Q, which increased the sales tax by a quarter-cent in Marin and Sonoma counties for 20 years to help pay for the project, which has cost roughly $500 million to date.

SMART might also get funding to build north to Windsor if Bay Area voters approve a bridge toll increase that is expected to be on the ballot in 2018.

“We are proud to say that we are ready to roll,” said Debora Fudge, chairwoman of the SMART board and Windsor’s mayor, in a statement. “Successfully opening a new transit system is a major accomplishment.”